Apron Free Cooking ~ Roasted Carrots & Onions

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I don’t know about your family, but mine spends a fair amount of time grilling our suppers on the back deck during the summer months. I’m always on the lookout for a side dish that goes well with grilled meats and came up with this idea while my husband was grilling some steaks last week.

I had a package of baby carrots in the refrigerator that had been purchased with the intention of adding them to a veggie tray. Somehow, the rest of the veggie tray ingredients were eaten and the carrots were still in the fridge. If I don’t post a written menu on the front of the fridge my menu ingredients are devoured as snacks and I’m left with some odds and ends ingredients. I’m sure that happens to other people, doesn’t it?

While the grill was heating up, I pulled out those baby carrots and found a couple of onions. I know lots of people who like grilled onions and mushrooms on their steaks, why not replace the mushrooms with the carrots, I thought. (I imagine the mushrooms had been eaten with the veggie tray items.)

Roasted Carrots & Onions

1 lb package baby carrots

3 med onions

3 TB cooking oil

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice baby carrots in half lengthwise, repeat so you have four slivers from each carrot. Cut each onion in half and then slice in thin slices. Place all sliced vegetables in large zip top plastic bag. Add three tablespoons olive or canola oil. Sip bag closed and toss vegetables until completely coated with oil. Spread vegetables on a large baking sheet. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until carrots are fork tender.

Make it a Meal: Serve this dish beside grilled steaks. Allow to cool and place on top of a green salad.

Variations: Adding other vegetables to the mixture is easy to do. Simply add another tablespoon of oil for each vegetable added.

Red or green peppers make the dish quite colorful. Broccoli roasts up with a sweet flavor. Cauliflower adds some interesting shapes. You’ll want to make sure that all pieces of vegetables are similar in size, so they roast evenly.

You’ll want to roast soft vegetables, such as mushrooms or zucchini, separately. Since they have a higher water content, they cook faster and will become overdone soggy lumps if you roast them for the same length of time as the carrots.

This is a good recipe to hold onto and pull out for big family dinners. Relatively inexpensive, you’ll be able to feed a crowd with a small investment.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week. Freezing isn’t recommended for this dish, as the onions lose their texture upon reheating. If you can’t eat all the leftovers, please don’t feed them to the dog. Onions are hazardous for dogs and will result in a trip to the vet. However, the family goat loves this dish, so feel free to share leftovers with him!

Reader Feedback: The cream puff cake actually does taste like cream puffs from the bakery! Even die hard traditional cake eaters have been convinced to forego their Devil’s Food cake in favor of this cool, creamy treat!

Noel Lizotte is enjoying the summer sunshine! More recipes are available on her website or in her cookbook, for sale at www.ApronFreeCooking.com

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